This invention relates to a print system, an ink jet printer and a cartridge, and in particular to a technology for managing a cartridge.
An ink cartridge is installed in a printer to supply ink via a line to an ink jet record head. A brand-new ink cartridge is contained in a highly airtight bag or a sealed container. In a state in which the ink cartridge is placed in the printer, an ink solvent evaporates through an atmospheric open hole for aiding the flowing-out of ink, a container made of a polymeric material forming a part of the ink cartridge, the line, the record head, etc., and the viscosity of ink rises with time, hindering the record operation.
Accordingly, it is important to manage the ink cartridge based on a time period for which the ink cartridge is placed in the printer.
JP-A-4-33866 and JP-A-3-278963 propose the following: A microcomputer having a timer function is attached to an ink cartridge, and if the elapsed time since the ink cartridge was placed in a printer exceeds the effectively usable time, a warning is indicated.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer, a printer system and/or an ink cartridge used with the printer and/or the printer system, by which data management regarding the use of the ink cartridge can be conducted more positively.
It is another object of the invention to provide a printer, a printer system and/or an ink cartridge used with the printer and/or the printer system, by which an effectively usable period of the ink cartridge can be managed without complicating the structure of the ink cartridge.
It is yet another object of the present invention is to provide a printer, a printer system and/or an ink cartridge used with the printer and/or the printer system, by which an effectively usable period of the ink cartridge can be correctly managed even if the ink cartridge is used with a plurality of different printers.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a timer system provided in a printer or a host device connected to the printer is used to manage the ink cartridge.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, data concerning management of an ink cartridge are modified depending on the use of the ink cartridge.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, data concerning management of an ink cartridge are stored in a data storage system provided in the ink cartridge.
The present invention provides, for example, an ink jet printer comprising an ink jet record head, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the ink jet record head, the ink cartridge to which a writable or rewritable storage system storing effectively usable period information defining an effectively usable period since the ink cartridge was placed in the printer or a printer is attached, and a control system for controlling the ink jet record head in response to print data. The control system calculates the effectively usable period based on the elapsed time since the ink cartridge was placed in the printer and the effectively usable period, and updates the effective usable period stored in the storage system.
Since the effective usable period is simply stored in the storage system, a timing microcomputer and power supply become unnecessary.
The present invention further provides, for example, the following: A time period data recording system and a time period expiration determining system are provided in a printer or a host device. The time period recording system calculates a time period or a time length for which an ink cartridge is placed in the printer, and records data relating to the time period or time length in a storage medium mounted on the ink cartridge. The time period expiration determining system recognizes an elapsed time period from a time point at which the brand-new ink cartridge is initially placed in the printer or a printer, or a time point at which a package for the brand-new ink cartridge is broken or opened, based on data recorded in the storage medium of the ink cartridge, and determines whether or not an effectively usable period expires based on the elapsed time period.
With this technology, even if the ink cartridge is used with a plurality of printers, or even if absolute date and time setting is different timer by timer, the elapsed time period can be recognized as a summed-up value of the time periods for which the ink cartridge is placed in respective printers, and consequently the determination can be made as to whether or not the effectively usable period expires.
In a preferred embodiment, the time period data recording system and the time period expiration determining system are provided to the printer, but these systems may be provided to the host device. The function of each of these systems may be dividingly distributed to and cooperatively executed by the printer and the host device.
In the preferred embodiment, the time period data recording system adds the time period for which the ink cartridge is placed in the printer to the previous elapsed time period stored in the recording medium of the ink cartridge to obtain a new elapsed time period, and records the new elapsed time period in the recording medium of the cartridge again. The time period expiration determining system reads this new elapsed time period from the recording medium of the cartridge, and determines whether or not the effectively usable time period expires based on this new elapsed time period.
In the preferred embodiment, the printer has a timer activated continuously regardless of whether power for the printer is turned on or off, a second storage medium, and a controller for controlling operation of the printer. This controller serves as the time period data recording system and the time period expiration determining system. That is, the controller performs the following operations 1) to 6):
1) When the ink cartridge is newly placed in the printer, that is, immediately after the ink cartridge replacement, the placement date and time is obtained from the timer, and recorded into the storage medium provided in the printer.
2) Periodically, or at the time of turning off the power or immediately before the ink cartridge is replaced, a time difference between a current date and time obtained from the timer and the placement date and time recorded in the storage medium in the printer is calculated.
3) This time difference is added to the elapsed time period already recorded in the storage medium of the cartridge.
4) The elapsed time period obtained by this addition is over-written on the storage medium of the cartridge.
5) Immediately after the ink cartridge replacement, periodically, immediately after the power turning on, or immediately before the start of print, the elapsed time period is read from the storage medium of the ink cartridge, and whether or not the effectively usable time period expires is checked.
6) If the effectively usable time period expires, this fact is informed to the user through a user interface of the printer or a host device.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application Nos. Hei. 11-244276 (filed on Aug. 31, 1999) and Hei. 11-293616 (filed on Oct. 15, 1999), which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.